Field trip.

Skyfest Has Visitors Looking Up

September 05, 1999|By Jeffrey Steele. Special to the Tribune.

Debbie Nelson admits she gets a little nervous when she watches her husband, Sid, piloting a 1939 Taylorcraft airplane beneath a ribbon suspended 15 feet above the ground, a maneuver called a "limbo." But the rest of the thousands of people at the upcoming Morris Skyfest Airshow are likely to thrill to this and many other aerial maneuvers, performed by an array of daring flyers.

The eighth annual Morris Skyfest continues at 10 a.m. Sunday at Morris Municipal Airport, on Illinois Highway 47 about two miles north of Morris. As many as 8,000 people are expected to attend during the course of the fest's two days, most coming for the aerobatics, which begin at 1 p.m. But Morris Skyfest is more than just a typical airshow, said Nelson, who with her husband produces the show.

Visitors will have a chance to look over displays of aviation-related memorabilia and tour warbirds such as the C-47 and B-52. Also included in the fest are a car show, games and face-painting for kids, helicopter and airplane rides, a country band and a huge food tent.

One of the highlights will feature Sid Nelson performing a sky ballet in his clipped-wing Taylorcraft, followed by the aforementioned limbo -- upside down. He ends his act by flying through the limbo ribbon after it has been lowered to just 12 feet off the ground.

"We'll also have skydiving going on all day long, with a mass jump immediately before and after the show," said Debbie Nelson.

Admission to Morris Skyfest is $5. Children under 5 are free, and there's free parking on the airport grounds. For more information on Morris Skyfest, call 815-942-1600.